diff --git a/java/com/tigervnc/vncviewer/VncViewer.java b/java/com/tigervnc/vncviewer/VncViewer.java
index 566169b..93d3f3b 100644
--- a/java/com/tigervnc/vncviewer/VncViewer.java
+++ b/java/com/tigervnc/vncviewer/VncViewer.java
@@ -208,6 +208,8 @@
       vncServerName.put(argv[i].toCharArray()).flip();
     }
 
+    // Check if the server name in reality is a configuration file
+    potentiallyLoadConfigurationFile(vncServerName);
   }
 
   public static void usage() {
@@ -215,6 +217,7 @@
                     "[host:displayNum]\n"+
                     "       vncviewer [options/parameters] -listen [port] "+
                     "[options/parameters]\n"+
+                    "       vncviewer [options/parameters] [.tigervnc file]\n"+
                     "\n"+
                     "Options:\n"+
                     "  -log <level>    configure logging level\n"+
@@ -277,6 +280,27 @@
     System.exit(1);
   }
 
+  public static void potentiallyLoadConfigurationFile(CharBuffer vncServerName) {
+    String serverName = vncServerName.toString();
+    boolean hasPathSeparator = (serverName.indexOf('/') != -1 ||
+                                (serverName.indexOf('\\')) != -1);
+
+    if (hasPathSeparator) {
+      try {
+        serverName = loadViewerParameters(vncServerName.toString());
+        if (serverName == "") {
+          vlog.info("Unable to load the server name from given file");
+          System.exit(1);
+        }
+        vncServerName.clear();
+        vncServerName.put(serverName).flip();
+      } catch (com.tigervnc.rfb.Exception e) {
+        vlog.info(e.getMessage());
+        System.exit(1);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   public static void newViewer() {
     String cmd = "java -jar ";
     try {
diff --git a/vncviewer/vncviewer.cxx b/vncviewer/vncviewer.cxx
index 413260d..fabd665 100644
--- a/vncviewer/vncviewer.cxx
+++ b/vncviewer/vncviewer.cxx
@@ -349,8 +349,9 @@
 
   fprintf(stderr,
           "\nusage: %s [parameters] [host:displayNum] [parameters]\n"
-          "       %s [parameters] -listen [port] [parameters]\n",
-          programName, programName);
+          "       %s [parameters] -listen [port] [parameters]\n"
+          "       %s [parameters] [.tigervnc file]\n",
+          programName, programName, programName);
   fprintf(stderr,"\n"
           "Parameters can be turned on with -<param> or off with -<param>=0\n"
           "Parameters which take a value can be specified as "
@@ -368,6 +369,31 @@
   exit(1);
 }
 
+static void
+potentiallyLoadConfigurationFile(char *vncServerName)
+{
+  const bool hasPathSeparator = (strchr(vncServerName, '/') != NULL ||
+                                 (strchr(vncServerName, '\\')) != NULL);
+
+  if (hasPathSeparator) {
+    try {
+      strncpy(vncServerName, loadViewerParameters(vncServerName),
+              VNCSERVERNAMELEN);
+      if (vncServerName[0] == '\0') {
+        vlog.error("Unable to load the server name from given file");
+        if (alertOnFatalError)
+          fl_alert("Unable to load the server name from given file");
+        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+      }
+    } catch (rfb::Exception& e) {
+      vlog.error("%s", e.str());
+      if (alertOnFatalError)
+        fl_alert("%s", e.str());
+      exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 #ifndef WIN32
 static int
 interpretViaParam(char *remoteHost, int *remotePort, int localPort)
@@ -516,6 +542,9 @@
     i++;
   }
 
+  // Check if the server name in reality is a configuration file
+  potentiallyLoadConfigurationFile(vncServerName);
+
   mkvnchomedir();
 
 #if !defined(WIN32) && !defined(__APPLE__)
diff --git a/vncviewer/vncviewer.man b/vncviewer/vncviewer.man
index 22b46cd..729c01d 100644
--- a/vncviewer/vncviewer.man
+++ b/vncviewer/vncviewer.man
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
 .RI [ options ] 
 .B \-listen
 .RI [ port ]
+.br
+.B vncviewer
+.RI [ options ]
+.RI [ .tigervnc file ]
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 .B vncviewer
 is a viewer (client) for Virtual Network Computing.  This manual page documents
@@ -31,6 +35,18 @@
 omitted.  So for example ":1" means display number 1 on the same machine, and
 "snoopy" means "snoopy:0" i.e. display 0 on machine "snoopy".
 
+As another quick way to start a connection to a VNC server, specify a .tigervnc
+configuration file as an argument to the viewer, e.g.:
+
+.RS
+vncviewer ./some.tigervnc
+.RE
+
+where './some.tigervnc' is an existing and valid TigerVNC configuration file.
+The file name needs to include a path separator.  Additional options may be
+given too, but the given configuration file will overwrite any conflicting
+parameters.
+
 If the VNC server is successfully contacted, you will be prompted for a
 password to authenticate you.  If the password is correct, a window will appear
 showing the desktop of the VNC server.